By Memory

Hey guys,

Lately it's been heavy on me that I need to actually memorize Bible verses. Why? Because I think somewhere in the Bible it says we should. See, doesn't that sound dumb?! It totally does. Point made. OK, so I don't sound so ridiculous I looked it up and here we go...

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom;... Colossians 3:16

And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart. Deuteronomy 6:6

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts; and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear. 1 Peter 3:15

And you know me. I'm not going to throw some daunting task at you (like memorize the BIBLE!) without giving you some adorable resource to help you, right? So here's a little gem that I found that I'll be buying real soon. I'm thinking of getting a few little desktop easels (I'm thinking by the computer and the kitchen sink) and rotating them every few days or weeks.







Don't you love these? Me too. You can buy them here, but of course you can always make something like this. I just think these are a little awesome and would also make really cool gifts.

And let me leave with a few more articles to ponder.

Why  memorize?

Best 100 verses to memorize.

New Week, New Family

Hey hey! Another week has come and gone and here we are on a Sunday afternoon again with a new family. I'd like to introduce you to The Elder family, Wynne and Stephen. You absolutely need to watch their adorable video and you'll love them instantly. See if I'm lying. I'm totally not.



Now, you may already know Wynne. She's sort of everywhere. You know those I <3 Camp shirts you see everywhere? That's them. You can buy one here. You know those amazing prints featured in her family video? You can get those here and the money will go to Project 61.  Oh, and you know how I love the Noonday collection? She's an ambassador. So if you're looking for a little retail therapy this week, look no further. Need a photographer to cover your adoption? Well, she's a photographer too. Check this video out. So yep, you might already know the Elders.

They are constantly helping others. That's their thing. And if it has to do with a love for orphans or Africa, Wynne's in the thick of it. I think that this week we can do a little something for them, though. Don't you think so? This is my favorite part. Ready? Let's help them bring home Camp. Donate your dollars right here.

Say a Little Prayer

I had planned to write a completely different post than what you're about to read. But I went to the Casper family's blog to snag a picture, and I was stopped in my tracks by Lauren Casper's most recent blog post. What she wrote was so much better than what I had planned. So I'm going to let her speak to what they need right now, before their Give1 week is over.



Just some prayers from me to Him. If you like you can join me. : )

• Jesus please help me get well. Soon. I am a wimp. Every single inch of me hurts and I think my throat has turned into burning sandpaper. I have a little boy I need to love on, a home that needs cleaned, and meals that need to be made and frozen before I leave town.


• Hold our little Ghana baby extra close right now. I miss him/her so much. It’s a familiar feeling… I had it with Mareto too. I don’t know the circumstances… maybe our little one is safe in the womb and there’s a battle raging for his/her life. Maybe our baby is brand new and hungry. Maybe he/she has yet to be conceived. Only you know God and only you can give the love and comfort I so long to be giving right now. This is heavy on my heart… please give me peace.


• Funds. Oh adoption funds. I love/hate them. It’s amazing to see you work in our adoption through the body of Christ. It’s amazing to see you work in the hearts of others to bring in the funds for our little one. It’s nothing short of awe inspiring. And yet there is still this $20,000 mountain left. I wish it would be moved now. I wish it wasn’t in our way and potentially slowing us down. But, your timing is perfect and your will and best. Bring more people to pray and give and journey along side of us Lord. And help me to trust.


• Hold my mother in law extra close tonight. Her mama went to be with you yesterday and while I know she is dancing in heaven with you… it’s still a bit hard for those of us left behind.


• Let me be a woman after your heart. So many things are breaking it now – things I believe break your heart too. Show me how to pray and how to act. Use me where I am.


• Mareto. My most precious gift from you. He’s having a little surgery next week and to be honest I am freaking out just a bit. I know you tell us not to worry but the very thought of anything happening to him makes me crazy. Please keep him safe and hold him through it all. Calm my fears. My mama heart hasn’t ever been through this. I scared. John tells me it is harder on me than Mareto. He might be right. Either way – we both need your help right now.

One more thing. John. Thank you for him. I don’t know how you chose me for him but I am so blessed. He has spent nearly every day for the past week at the nursing home loving on his mom and grandma. He spent all day yesterday helping his parents and making arrangements. Then he came home to care for Mareto while I hid in bed with a migraine. Then today he got up and went to work and spent all day preparing a sermon for tonight, then came home to give me an hour nap, then went back to preach. Now he is at the store getting me soup and medicine. He is amazing… and he could use a little rest and pampering himself. Bless him a little extra tonight.

This sweet family has been through a lot this week...a week that was supposed to be a move-mountains-and-awe-inspiring kind of week for them. So please do what you can to lift them up this weekend with your prayers and your dollars.

Peace

 

Hey guys, sorry the post is late today. I'm coming at you live from the trenches today. It's been a little hard around here lately. Our homestudy is taking forever and it's stressing me out. My kids are eating my soul. Today, before 9, Abby insisted on eating my breakfast while I was trying to eat it, using the computer while I'm on it, playing with the exact toys that I'm attempting to clean up, and would have climbed into my bath while I was in it had I not locked her out. Both of us crying. Mommyhood is hard sometimes. Been there? It's nice to think that God has thoughts of peace and not evil for me, cause it sure feels like somebody's got thoughts of evil for me today. And I know I'm not the only one. I know some moms in the trenches today. Let's pray for each other all day today. For all the moms under fire right now. Thoughts of peace coming at ya.

 

Say Hey to our New Blogger!

Hey, guys! I'm just ecstatic to bring you some fun news today. Remember Missy, our first mom of 2012? The surprise fundraiser? Well, she has agreed to blog regularly over here on Wednesdays and we're all in for a real treat. She's an astounding writer with profound insight. She's going to make us all better people, y'all. I'm convinced of it. This is the latest pic of her and the new babies. There's still one more trip left to go pick them up, but here's a post from her blog that will really let us get to know her heart a bit. It's from the homestudy days. Take it away, Missy...

The process of a adoption homestudy is more than intimidating... 
A woman will come to our home and evaluate if we are fit parents, and if our house is a home. 
I am going to bake some Pillsbury cookies from scratch to make the house smell nice. 

What could go wrong, really?   

Nothing to be alarmed about. 

That's just a plastic knife that my daughter is obsessed with. 

That's just her face. 

Our dog?  Don't worry about him. 

He's just a giant beast that roams our house

and wrestles with our kids. 

There are other pictures, too...

There's a Daddy who leaves for work at 4:30 in the morning so that he doesn't miss a minute of before-bed time in the evenings.

There's a Mommy who loves her girls so much that she sniffs them when they aren't looking, just like her Mommy used to do.  That thinks motherhood is the best job on the planet.

There are Sisters.

Best Friends.

There are Grandmas of all types.  Silly Grandmas.

Fun Grandmas.

Artsy Grandmas.

Grandpas who build.

Grandpas who teach.

Grandpas who care.

Six Grandparents who all said

"Yes"

when we asked to alter thier family tree.

We've got a church in our backyard that supports, encourages, and educates people in adoption and orphan care; and families within that church that are willing to come alongside of these parents and teach us how to do what we have been asked to do.

So the cookies won't matter.

We've got this.

Thank you, God, for this family.

Thank you for this home.

Thank you for my girls.

Thank you for giving me more than I need

and everything that I love.

Spring Style

Hey ladies! I love the changing of the seasons. Some more than others, but winter to spring is a good one. I thought maybe we'd run over some spring styles for mamas today. My #1 rule of thumbs is no girly bits showing when bending down. You know, moms bend down all day picking up stuff, and I hate having all my stuff all out there. So here's some mom approved, but super cute looks for this spring. My spring wardrobe will center around the soon to be available Toms ballet flats!!! I'm getting, like, all of these.









I know I'm jumping the gun on this spring thing, but that's how I roll. Spring only lasts something like 2 weeks in Houston and I'm going to be ready for it when it gets here!

New Week, New Family

Hey Everybody,

I hope you all had a good weekend. I think I spent a lot of this weekend daydreaming about spring. I think I'm almost done with winter. It kind of feels like it here in Houston. I'm in flip flops and a sleeveless dress right now if that tells you anything. And I'm craving things I usually don't, like gardening (huh?) and redecorating rooms (bad idea, at the moment). Anyhoo, anybody else feeling like a fresh start and some fresh air?



Well, we've got a fresh week going down here on Give1. Let's say hello to the Caspers. Lauren and John adopted Mareto last February from Ethiopia. This time they've made a switch and decided to be part of a pilot program with Ghana! That sounds so exciting! They are one of three families signed on to this program. I can't wait to see how it unfolds!!! If you're interested in their decision to switch, check out Lauren's post on her blog. So this time they're headed back to Africa for Mareto's little brother or sister. If you'd like to get to know the Caspers a little better, head over to their blog. The blog is a gem, I tell ya! Tons to see there.

Now, you guys know the usual drill. This is where we blast the family with dollar bills! Ready, set, go!

Warm Fuzzies

I don’t know about your neck of the woods, but winter has finally arrived in mine. (Well, there’s at least frost on the cars in the mornings.) Thanks to our adoptive mom this week, Lindsay Morris, you can stay warm and help their adoption. Here’s what Lindsay told us about her stylish hobby:

After the birth of my first son I really wanted to learn a new hobby. I became a stay-at-home mom, my dream job, but I still desired to have a little something of my own. I decided I would try to learn how to knit and crochet. I have fond memories as a little girl watching my late German grandma constantly in the middle of a knitting project. I suppose it is those special memories that initially sparked my interest in the craft.  I started teaching myself basic techniques via YouTube videos. Once I got the hang of it I couldn't be stopped!  I decided to open my Etsy shop to feed my new obsession. Little did I know how all of this would end up playing a role in one of our family's biggest journeys yet...international adoption!

Check out these adorable Lindsay Lou Creations:

[caption id="attachment_1376" align="aligncenter" width="226" caption="Photo from Art and Soul Photography"][/caption]











Your purchase of Lindsay’s work will help the Morris family bring home their daughter from the DRC (hopefully soon!). You can order items from her Etsy shop or on her blog’s shop. You can also ask Lindsay for a custom order, which she just loves to do. Your new hat, scarf, or blanket will give you that warm, fuzzy feeling…literally and figuratively.

Cupcakes Kids

It might seem totally random that I'm posting about cupcakes today, but it's not, actually. I've just learned about Cupcake Kids and I'm all over it. So here's the basics. This year Cupcake Kids takes to the street on May 5, 2012 (though you can feel free to host one any time). That's still a few months off, but I'm starting to think about it today cause when it comes to cupcakes I don't want to mess around. I want the perfect stand with the perfect cupcakes, liners, and toppers. I'm just into that kind of thing. So we'll just be chatting about that as it gets closer. Today I'm just letting you know about it and getting your juices flowing. If you'd like to sign up to host a cupcake sale you can do so here.







If you aren't familiar with 60 feet, it's a great organization. You should check them out. The content is sort of hard. We're talking about imprisoned children living in horrible conditions in Uganda. 60 feet is bringing hope and restoration to those kids by creating homes, medical clinics, schools and libraries, and child sponsorship. They do a million different ministries over there. I'm excited about my kids helping other kids. Abby is 3 and she'll probably be eating the merchandise, but Will is 6 and a very compassionate little guy. This is right up his alley. But I think as the big sale gets closer we can all discuss how much information is too much information and how to set the tone for empathy without totally scarring our kids. I'd love to hear your thoughts on that. But like I said, today we're just brainstorming and daydreaming about sugar, sprinkles, and warmer weather. If you sign up for a booth come back and tell me in the comments section. I would LOVE to see who will be out there with us!

A New Project

Good morning, all! I hope you're doing well this week.

I wanted to tell you about something new that we're doing. You know how every few months or so we do a project? Well, now we'll just always have a project going on. It'll be something that has to do with orphan care. That's kind of our thing. So let me tell you a little about or current project. This is Emily Barton.



She has impressed me like crazy. Emily is fundraising to be able to go on a mission trip to Uganda this summer. She'll be spending a month there. Half of her time will be spent teaching abstinence to students her age, which is actually a crucial ministry everywhere. The rest of the time she'll be living and sharing the gospel in a camp with orphans and former child soldiers. I do think it's bold and brave to even do such a thing at all. I'm particularly taken with how effective she may be there just because of her willingness to go now. But it's not just that, either. She's been so responsible fundraising and keeping people informed. She has set up a Facebook page for her mission trip. In even doing that she's ministering to her friends stateside. She has been selling artwork, bracelets, and Tshirts in her Ordinary Hero shop. She is working so hard to get there! Really busting it! I would be honored to pick up the slack and help this girl do what she's been called to do.

Remember Katie? This is exactly what she did at this age, and look at the impact in Uganda she has made. Heck, look at the impact she has made everywhere! If she's going to be the hands and feet over there, we can help by being the... checkbook? Ok, I'm not fantastic at analogies, but you get my drift. My thought is that these people need to be reached and I'm not in a place to physically reach them myself right now. But if there is someone willing and able, I can at least help put a few of the dollars that God has put in my care towards spreading the Good News. That's the whole point, right? What's a better way to spend His money? I can't think of any. So if you'd like to donate to Emily's mission trip you can do so here. I'm sorry to bug you for another dollar. It's just that the more I spend on God's purposes the more I want opportunities to do it again. So maybe it's the same for you. :)

Right On, Francis.

I love this quote. Sometimes we get caught up in our lives, don't we?  Meal plans, crafts, fat thighs, parties, decorating, errands,  etc etc etc. This is life. But this is a great quote. It's so easy to forget why we're here. But it's also really easy to strip it down and get back on track.

If you like this quote, hey, he's got about a million more. I love pretty much everything Francis Chan writes. If you want to talk about real, authentic Christianity you need to read Crazy Love if you haven't already. It's a staple.

New Week, New Family

Hey Everybody,

I hope you had an awesome weekend. Ours has been a little strange. First off, I've been eating like a crazy person for a week due to birthdayness. I loved it, but now I'm just really full. Thanks for all the sweet birthday wishes, too, you guys. Today started at 3am. My husband ran (most of) the Houston Marathon, which is kind of a big honkin' deal. In mile 16, though, he injured his ankle and had to stop. Huge bummer. But he still rocked it and raised $775 for Living Water International, so he's still a rockstar obviously. But now, folks, I'm ready for a glass of wine  cup of tea, some Once Upon a Time, and a new family of the week! Allow me to introduce you.

This, everybody, is the Morris family. *Hi Morris family!* The are adopting a baby girl from the Democratic Republic of Congo. They've already received their referral for a beautiful baby girl who is 9 months old right now. This week we want to pray for this little girl, her nannies, her tiny little friends, and her new family waiting for her. And of course, we'd be honored to bless this family with a few of our dollars. This is our tiny part to play in the life of this orphan. A small offering to our Father who is working some beautiful stuff in the lives of this baby girl, her family, and us. I'm thankful for the opportunity.



If you're new here, let me tell give you the scoop. We're all going to give a dollar to the Morris' to help them adopt their baby with as little stress as possible. Financial stress is a whopper and we have the ability this week to just remove it. I hope we do. This week that'll take $4,000 so we'll need 4,ooo team members. The best thing you can do to help (after you donate your dollar, of course) is to spread the word on your blogs, your facebook page, and your twitter ... um, thingy. OK, I don't fully understand Twitter yet, but if you do, work it. :) Ready to change some lives? Me too. Here we go. Donate here.

This I Believe

So now for some inspiration. This week, I came across a really great article about adoption. It was featured on the series This I Believe, which you may have heard on talk radio from time to time. In a piece called, “Love Beyond Boundaries,” Brian Schoeni writes:

I know adoption isn’t a perfect fit for every parent-to-be. But I do believe this: adoption is a perfect fit for every kid in every corner of our world who needs the love of a family.

These true and powerful words reminded me of the Give1 family. The readers of this blog, the people who post about it on their blogs or send it to their friends, and the families who are featured each week all have something in common…you care about the millions of children in this world who don’t have a place to call home or parents to tuck them in at night with a kiss on the forehead. Some of us have the option to pursue adoption. Some of us support those who are adopting. But whether we’re called to do this by instinct, or scripture, or just because a friend asked us…we support adoption because the kids need us.

Imagine if the Hapners or the Chase family got too scared to answer the adoption call, simply because they didn’t have enough money saved in the bank. Imagine if all their friends (or the generous Give1 strangers) didn’t support them with prayers and dollars… If any of us hadn't followed through, there would be one more orphan in the world who needed a family.

Being involved in Give1 or supporting orphans around the world isn’t a complicated mission. We do it, because there are millions of kids who need us. We do it, because we can.



Here is the article that inspired this rant. Please give what you can to help the little boy on the other side of the world who is waiting for the Chase family.

Glad You Were Born

Happy Thursday, everyone. This is Lindsay, the Friday Give1 blogger. One of the benefits of being involved with Give1 is that I can go behind Beth’s back and let you all know that today is Beth’s birthday! In honor of her birthday, I am going to embarrass her, of course!

[caption id="attachment_1315" align="aligncenter" width="506" caption="Click the card for instructions on how to make this!"][/caption]

Beth, on behalf of the Give1 families, I cannot thank you enough for coming up with this Give1Save1 idea and being talented enough to make it so darn fabulous. You have helped so many orphans get so many steps closer to having permanent, loving families. And I know that you’re gracious enough to say that God deserves all the credit, but it took guts (and a lot of energy) to take the path He wanted you to, doing everything in your power to care for His children.

You have shown how just one person, or one dollar, can make a huge difference in this world. You make us laugh, you make us cry, you open our eyes, you inspire us…and you make us more stylish with your impeccable taste.

On a personal note, I am so glad that you were crazy enough to let me be a part of this venture. My heart is so full of joy from working on this. Through our hundreds of emails over the last few months, you have become such a dear friend to me. I can’t wait for the day that we can finally meet our girls…and each other.

Please join me in wishing Beth a very happy birthday. And I imagine Beth’s birthday wish is for this to be the best Give1 week yet…so remember to bless the Chase family this week by blasting that Donate button!

Mountains Moved

Here's a little note from Emily Hapner, our mom of the week. Check out this awesomeness!!!!

Friends, Family & Strangers, 

Thank you does not adequately describe our gratitude. God has worked in incredible ways during the last two days and mountains have been moved!  We are humbled and blessed beyond measure by the love and support from y'all.  The body of Christ is a beautiful thing.  In two short days, the remaining fees for our adoption have been raised and we cannot thank you enough.

However, our week on Give1Save1 is far from over....and we have big plans for the next five days! 

Fourteen months ago God brought another family into our lives.  We have experienced every stage of our adoption together--from fingerprinting to referral.  We have stayed up countless nights talking {and rejoicing and crying!}  However, we have never met in person. Our prayer has been that God will unite us in Ethiopia--someday {soon!}. Our sons have spent their lives together at the same orphanage, and now transition home.  We cannot wait to wrap our arms around our boys--and finally meet each other!  

So, without further ado, let me introduce to you....The Chase Family!

Jen & Trevor are waiting to bring home Bek, their sweet nine month old baby boy, from Ethiopia.  They have sacrificed much in the past two years as God has brought them on a whirlwind of an adoption journey. They're an incredible family with a huge heart for God, family and orphan care.  They need to raise the needed funds to travel to Ethiopia, twice.  Will you help us bless them--with love, support, prayers and dollar bills!??!  

Thank you in advance!  I can't wait to watch the rest of this week unfold!!!

kicking off the cooking project!

You know, some people have the cooking gene and well, some just don’t. My grandma was a wonderful cook. She made homemade noodles that were to die for and although I never tried that weird jello thing with fruit inside, I bet it was actually pretty good, too. She made me fall in love with pecan pie. I still love pecan pie. It just happens to come from the freezer aisle. Since I don’t have that said cooking gene, this is going to be an interesting experiment. You see, I’ve never eaten Ethiopian food outside of Ethiopia, but I do really love it in Ethiopia.

[caption id="attachment_1284" align="aligncenter" width="388" caption="My husband eating Ethiopian food in Ethiopia, the real deal."][/caption]

I’ve read a lot of books and articles, attended great conferences and have great small groups with their own experiences transitioning children into their families. I understand the key role that nutrition can play in this transition. Let me preface this: there is a lot of very important information about the importance of nutrition in the transition of international adoption, including issues with food anxieties like gorging or hoarding that are related to previous malnutrition. I don’t have the expertise to address all this, but I highly suggest doing some research (I appreciate some of the information found at http://adoptionnutrition.org/) to understand and attempt to prepare for it. What I do know, though, is that I’ve heard it’s important to serve your child some foods that are familiar during the transition of introducing new foods into their diet. What does this mean?! I’m on a journey to learn to cook Ethiopian food, and you’re invited!

So here’s the deal. Each month, I’m going to be trying a new Ethiopian dish. First up, I think I should master (ha, I said master…like the confidence?!) the basics: injera. Injera is kind of like a flatbread that is spongy and soft. It’s made from a grain called teff, something very common in Ethiopia which is what makes it such a great staple for the country. It’s used to scoop the food and replaces all utensils. What’s better than a good description? An even better video. This is a friend of mine demonstrating how to properly eat Ethiopian food, from my first trip to Ethiopia.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVif9iDYN0U]

Get ready to kick this little project off in February. Why not January? I need some time to hype myself up, people. See above, where it says I’m not a great cook. So January is a time of introductions. I’ll be sharing my recipes, my experiences (including pictures, of course) and hopefully a few comments from the hubby. I hope you are as excited as I am! And be gentle with your comments. Remember? Not a great cook! :)

New Week, New Family

Hey Everybody! I hope you had a really restful weekend. We're taking it super easy over here and it's a little bit wonderful.

So, you ready to meet our new family? You're going to love these guys. I know I always say that. I just love all our Give1 peeps, don't you? Ok, here we go. Say hello to Emily and James Hapner. I'll let Mom tell you a little about their story.



Just over 15 Months ago we began talking about beginning a family.  Through much prayer and divine intervention, God made it known that His plan for our lives included adoption.  With much excitement and holy fear we started the process.  God said, “NOW” and so, with not a penny set aside for adoption we applied to our agency.  It was a whirlwind of activity and for months the flurry of paperwork didn’t stop.  We plowed ahead trusting in God, who’s plans are far bigger and better than ours.  As a teacher and a nurse we’re diligent in our work, however with college (loans!) not too far in our past, we didn’t have extra money (let alone $25,000) at hand.  However, God granted us an incredible team of supporters who cheered us on and invested in our journey.  We have done numerous fundraisers (online adoption auction, t-shirts, puzzle, Uganda necklaces, coffee, and concert) yet, we have still come up short. 

It’s been an incredible journey of faith--and in some ways it’s just beginning.  In the past year we’ve lost a referral of another little boy and we sat at my mom’s side as she was welcomed home into the arms of Jesus.  We’ve experienced incredible heartache and yet, God is refining us for His glory.  After all, this is His story....we simply get the pleasure of taking part. 

Today, I’m typing this staring into the eyes of our sweet boy---who’s pictures grace our computer screen.  Yes, we have our long awaited referral!!!    God is good and so faithful and through it all we have learned---again and again---joy comes in the morning and is so worth the wait.

Now you guys know why we're here: to support this family with sweet words, honest prayers, and dollar bills. Let's do it. Lift up this family and little Moses.

Donate your dollars, grab a Kleenex ( I am so not joking), and pop over here to see their video. And then help spread the word.

Between Friends

When I heard about how we were going to surprise this week’s family on Give1, I was super pumped. I love surprises! I loved that Missy was boarding a plane to see her kiddos for the first time, and in the meantime, her friend Chrissy was making her video for Give1 behind her back.

Well, our cover was blown. This is from Missy’s blog:

“I was not supposed to know about this. But on my way out the door to Ethiopia, I found out that two women I have never met [Beth and Chrissy] had secretly stayed up late into the night preparing the surprise of a lifetime for my family.”

Wait, What? Missy and Chrissy have never met? (Even their names make you think they’re twins!) How cool!  These two women were sharing the fundraising spotlight with each other, not out of obligation or some friendly expectation…just simply because they wanted the other to be able to afford their adoptions…to bring home the children God had found just for them…children who desperately need them. What a beautiful friendship.

Super secret surprise or not, I love that we (the Give1 family) were able to be a part of this story. Let’s wrap up the week by showering blessings on Missy and her growing family. Let’s give $1, $5, $12…whatever we can to make this leap of faith (the adoption process) easier for Missy’s family.

By the way, Missy and Chrissy will meet for the first time next week…“on the other side of the world, as we stand together in court to claim our children.”